This invention relates generally to catheters and more particularly to prelubricated intermittent catheters.
Heretofore, single use catheters designed for intermittent or self catheterization have been supplied without an insertion lubricant thereon. This is because the lubricant is designed to liquify at body temperature and frequently becomes sufficiently liquid during storge to coat the inside of the package carrying the catheter and also the complete catheter. As a result, the prior art supplied the lubricant in a separate container. This required the lubricant to be applied by the user after the catheter was removed from the sterile package in which the catheter is supplied. Not only was this inconvenient for the user but also allowed the lubricant in the tube to become contaminated thereby spreading the contamination to subsequently used catheters when the lubricant was applied.